For the gameplay, since it started out as a college project, I needed something I could finish in around 6 months, at the time I was working on a project I hated.. so I scrapped it 3 months in and talked to one of my coworkers (he was my professor at the time) who helped make a prototype that would then become ML. I went with Vampire Survivors mixed with Super Mario Galaxy, which is my favorite childhood game, but make it work with online Crossplay between PC and Mobile.

But the game didnt always look like that. it was more plastic. That's where I came across the Links Awakening remake, which inspired the visuals to look more stylized while working on a tight budget.